Determination of cleanliness in industrial, health care and other settings is important for maintaining good hygiene and sanitation. For example, the surfaces of equipment used for food handling, storage or processing are major sources of microbial and allergen contamination. Microbial contamination can lead to decreased shelf life of products and, if pathogens are present, transmission of disease. Similarly, unexpected allergens on food contact surfaces may contaminate food. Such contamination has the potential to cause adverse reactions, such as an allergic reaction including hives, anaphylaxis and death, in sensitive people who consume or otherwise contact the contaminated food.
Microbial culturing can be used to determine the presence of microorganisms. Culturing, however, is time consuming and, therefore, the necessary “real time” feedback to sanitation and food preparation personnel may not be available. As a result, food exposed to surfaces that are later found to contain potentially harmful microorganisms could enter the food supply. Therefore, hygiene and sanitation analysis of a wide variety of materials in industrial, health care and other settings often depend upon the measurement of an intensity of light beam.
Therefore, luminometers, photometers and other instruments for detecting and measuring absorption or emission of light from a test sample can be useful measures of chemical and biological systems and changes, particularly in the determination of emitted light from test samples containing luminescent components. Luminometers, photometers and the like often measure light emission, wherein the test sample, whose light is to be determined, can be maintained at an acceptable optical temperature or other required conditions. Photometer analyzers are typically included for use with multiple bioluminescent or chemiluminescent assay tests. In some applications, a portable analyzer works in conjunction with a varying number of sample holders to determine and measure the presence of ATP, pesticides, phosphatase, and somatic cells; predict shelf life; and also to conduct general microbial quality tests for a wide variety of products. Typically, these devices are capable of storing and sorting assay data in its memory, and transferring information to a display panel or printer or a computer system.
Traditional devices may include a sample chamber with an entrance port, into which a test vial containing the test sample to be determined is inserted. In particular examples, the test vial containing the sample employed in the test sample holder is a transparent or translucent vial, which permits the passage or emission of the emitted exposed light, for example, in a bioluminescent assay, and, for example, permits light transmission of from about 300 to 650 nanometers, which is visible light range. The test vial with the test sample therein may be separately inserted, or may be removed as a detachable component of a separate test sample holder device, such as an elongated tube, for example, a POCKETSWAB device, (a registered trademark of Charm Sciences, Inc., of Lawrence, Mass.), or other test sample holders described herein.
However, conventional luminomter systems and devices require efficient use of photomultiplier tubes, photodiodes or the like for the sensitivity needed to properly detect light levels to ensure product quality and safety.
Therefore, Applicants desire systems and methods for improved luminomter efficiency of photon counting, without the drawbacks presented by the traditional systems and methods.